In this support scam scam, con artists are posing as tech experts eager to help solve your problem – for a price. The issue”? Someone in your home has been viewing pornography online. The BBB is seeing a growing number of similar cases. BBB.org/ScamTracker
Take a quick listen to Better Business Bureau Regional Director Whitney:
How the scam works
There’s something wrong with your home computer or Internet connection, so look up a customer support phone number online. In a hurry, click to call the phone number listed in the top results.
A company “representative” will answer and ask you a few standard questions about your device, such as the make and model number. The phone looks normal at first, but it soon takes a turn. This “Tech Support Representative” has some creative stories to illustrate the point. You might insist that someone in your home is looking at porn, and this has led to your computer being stolen. In a recent report, the “agent” asked the caller if he had a teenage son and insisted that the boy was the culprit. In another instance, “tech support” said that “thousands of people” were using the caller’s IP address to view pornography.
This scam is designed to sell expensive computer security software, typically costing victims between $200 and $900. Unfortunately, it does nothing to fix your computer or internet problems. In some cases, the scammers want remote access to your computer. Allowing remote access allows them to install malware that records passwords, keystrokes or other files containing personal information.
How to protect yourself from technology scams
- Never open attachments or links in emails from unknown senders. These can generate false alert pop-ups that prompt you to call scammers. If you get a suspicious pop-up alert, don’t click on anything and restart your computer, tablet or phone.
- Never give remote access to your computer to strangers. You should only allow remote access to technicians from reputable companies that you have contacted through a legitimate customer service number or chat.
- Avoid clicking on pop-up boxes or ads that say something is wrong. If the pop-up does not disappear, immediately disconnect the device from the Internet and Wi-Fi by turning it off and restarting it.
For more information
Many tech support scams use similar tactics. watch out BBB article on tech support scams And on this article Fake customer service numbers.
If you are the victim of a tech support scam, report it BBB fraud tracker. By reporting your experience, you can help others avoid falling for the same scam.
Want more information on how to avoid fraud? Look Check out the cheat page And Sign up to receive weekly scam alerts.
